Our in-house gardening enthusiast returns with the answers to all your most burning questions.
Q. Two friends asked me to identify this nice plant. They said it had big heart shaped leaves that changed colour in autumn.
Vitis Coignetiae is a deciduous climber that likes humus rich, neutral to alkaline soil. It will grow in sun or partial shade, is very hardy, and is grown for its architectural foliage and brilliant autumn colour. This spectacular plant challenges the Russian Vine for vigour and easily beats it for beauty. The young shoots are covered with loose grey down and the huge leathery, three to five lobed, heart-shaped leaves 30cm in diameter are beautiful. The sunken veins create a rough texture on the upper surface, the underneath of the leaves is thick, rusty-brown felt that feels like suede. The flowers are insignificant green in colour, borne in summer, followed by small, black, inedible grapes with a purple bloom appearing in autumn – they don’t even make wine! Admire instead the spectacular autumn colour creating a cloak of scarlet, mahogany and orange, bathed in autumn sunshine it is truly magnificent. When planting, ensure you give it enough space, grow it along a wall, and let it wrap its tendrils on trellis or wires to give it support, prune to keep within its allotted space because this climber is very vigorous.
Q. I have a shady area that is quite damp Have you any suggestions as to what I could plant.
Ferns are the first plants that would be on my list. Of all non-flowering perennials, ferns are easily the most garden worthy. Offering an exciting variety of shapes and heights for use as specimen plants or in bold groupings. Most of the following ferns are of medium to large size, and will thrive given humus rich soil, moisture and shade. Asplenium Scolopendrium, Hart’s Tongue Fern, easily recognised by its long leathery, strap-shaped evergreen fronds and marked beneath with stripes of brown spores. Athyruim Red Beauty has a silvery leaf with red stems, herbaceous and very pretty, is good for the front of a border. Dryopteris Erthrosora Red shield fern is one of the most colourful of hardy ferns. Polystichum Setiferum Soft Shield Fern is a graceful and beautiful fern which develops a large, loose shuttlecock of evergreen, finely divided, dark green fronds. It will thrive on a shady bank or ditch. Matteuccia Struthiopteris is another choice. The bold, upright fronds of this fern, arching like the plumes of an ostrich, led to its common name of Ostrich Feather Fern or Ostrich Fern. The outer fresh green fronds of this deciduous fern are sterile, hiding the inner, dark brown fertile fronds. Plants that are good for inter-planting with ferns, and also like shade: Ajuga – purple reddish or variegated mats of foliage with blue flowers in spring. Bergenia – has large, rounded, glossy leaves, often reddening in autumn with pink flowers in spring. Hostas really work well, with a vast amount of different coloured leaves. Astilbe have large frothy, conical plumes of red, pink and white flowers that rise above robust clumps of much divided, bright green handsome leaves in early summer and prefers a moist soil. Good luck!
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